Pakistanis remember bin Laden as 'Islamic hero'

Al-Qaida supporters gather in Pakistan, chanting, carrying photos of 9/11 mastermind bin Laden on 2nd anniversary of his death.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

MAY 3, 2013 09:49

Osama bin Laden supporters in Pakistan 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed ) — Osama bin Laden supporters in Pakistan 370

(photo credit: REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed )

Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta was filled with hundreds of al-Qaida supporters, as they rallied to commemorate the second anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death on Thursday, AFP reported.

The rally consisted of 450 participants and was organized by a pro-Taliban faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. AFP cited the crowd as chanting, “Long live Islamic jihad and long live Mulla Omar,” and many of them held photos of bin Laden.

“We are observing death anniversary of an Islamic hero, who was killed by American and Pakistani agents,” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s central secretary for information, Maulana Abdul Sattar Chisti, said at the ceremony.

Last year, on the first anniversary of bin Laden’s capture by US troops, President Barack Obama warned America of further hardship ahead in Afghanistan but told them “there is a light on the horizon.

“Not only were we able to drive al-Qaida out of Afghanistan, but slowly and systematically we have been able to decimate the ranks of al-Qaida, and a year ago we were able to finally to bring Osama bin Laden to justice,” Obama said to cheers.

Bin Laden was killed in a US-led operation on on May 2, 2011, less than two hours’ drive from Islamabad, after 10 years of of being one of the world’s most wanted terrorists, putting Pakistani officials under pressure to explain how he could have lived so close to their capital.

Bin Laden is said to be the mastermind behind 9/11, the most deadly terrorist attack America ever endured. The attack left almost 3,000 people dead after two commercial aircrafts slammed into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, and a fourth into a field in Pennsylvania.

The latter was believed to be headed to the White House.

Reuters contributed to this report.